Peach Crisp

After our recent move I now feel more comfortable in the new kitchen. It is right in the middle of summer here and given our love for peaches we had overabundance in the fridge. It didn't take long to find a great recipe for peach breakfast. Here is a link to the one I followed. I really loved it and even without vanilla ice cream it tasted great (we had drinkable plain goat yogurt instead). I forgot to take a picture of the plate, but as you can see there is not much left in the baking dish, so it must have been good. ;)

Note: I used 3 medium peached and baked in a good old glass 8x8 inch Pyrex dish uncovered for about 25 minutes, and another 5-10 minutes covered with foil.

Yeasted Buckwheat Waffles

I knew it was a while since the last time I've posted on the blog... There have been a lot of life changing events in my life. Some of you already know all about it. :)

Let me share with you another of my recent culinary discoveries - buckwheat waffles! I had purchased buckwheat flour on a whim so I can try it sometime. It is unusual since it is not really related to wheat. Given that I love the basic recipe for yeasted whole wheat waffles that came with my waffle maker booklet, I looked into having similar waffles with buckwheat. I can tell you the result is even lighter and crispier! Here is a link to the recipe I followed from Epicurious: Yeasted Buckwheat Waffles. The only change I made was to use homemade yogurt instead of the milk. Enjoy with maple syrup or honey! And don't be afraid to try something new. :)

Lemon Ricotta Waffles

I can't believe I haven't posted any waffles yet. Today was actually the second time I make these. I found Joy's recipe when searching for ricotta waffles.  I knew I could trust her since I have made some of her other baking recipes. I had plenty of ricotta cheese and wanted to see if it truly lights up the texture. And indeed these are light and tasty. Not too sweet so you can add generous serving of honey or maple syrup on top.

I halved the recipe adding a little extra zest and poppy seeds, and ended up with 4 small waffles. Served with honey and orange juice.

http://joythebaker.com/2013/07/lemon-ricotta-waffles-with-poppy-seeds/

Tip: If you have any leftover waffles you can freeze them individually wrapped and reheat for a minute in the microwave. They dry out a bit after reheating but they are certainly quick tasty midweek breakfast.

Ginger Molasses Cupcakes

I was in the mood for something with molasses. These mini cupcakes really hit the spot. I haven't baked much with molasses but I do like its rich flavor. I adapted a recipe I found on Epicurious. I will certainly keep this one handy because it was really easy, quick and the result is delicious! Next time I think I will double the amount and use one whole egg. A small amount of chopped walnuts or other nuts would be a nice addition giving a bit of a crunch.

Ginger Molasses Cupcakes
makes 15 mini cupcakes

3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 T butter, softened
3 T sugar
4 T robust molasses
4 T boiling water
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg yolk, with a small amount of the egg white

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. In a small bowl mix the flour with the spices (ginger and cinnamon).
3. Beat the butter with the sugar until fluffy, set aside.
4. Pour the hot water over the molasses and stir. Quickly add the baking powder and stir. It should bubble.
5. Mix in the molasses mixture and flour to the butter in small additions, mixing well after each one.
6. Finally mix in the egg yolk.
7. Pour equally in 15 mini cupcake cups. It should be close to the brim.
8. Bake for about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Makoviec

Since I was I a child I loved Kozunak, a challah like sweet bread we had in Bulgaria every Easter. Since I read about Makoviec bread I wanted to try it. This was the second time I used poppy seed filling and I liked the result much better than the first which were some Jewish butter cookies (Hamantaschen). I couldn't stop eating it. It is good for breakfast with tea or coffee. I have had it for dessert and afternoon snack, too.


Mokoviec

 Dough:

• 1 egg
• 1-2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 1 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup sugar
• flour (2-3) cups

Filling:

• roughly 1/2 cup poppy seed filling
• zest of 1/2 orange
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup raisins, chopped

1. Mix the yeast with a little warm water and let rest for 4-5 minutes.
2. In a big bowl mix in the yogurt, flour, zest, and sugar and knead until it becomes springy. I used a hand mixer with a dough hook attachment. It took like 5-10 minutes.
3. Let rest in a warm place covered with a towel until it doubles in size.
4. Punch down. Divide in two balls. Roll each one to 1/4 inch thickness.
5. Prepare the filling by mixing them in a small bowl. 
6. Spread half of the filling over the dough and roll. Repeat with the other half.
7. Put the two rolls in a greased 8x8in baking dish. (I used Pyrex here.)
8. Rest until almost doubled in size.
9. Preheat the oven to 375F. Glaze with yolk and some sugar.
10. Bake for 25 minutes, then lower the heat to 345 and bake 15 more minutes.
    Let cool a bit and enjoy. It is still good the following day.